For Loyalty and Humanity
by blondetomatoes
Summary: Feliciano Vargas is a regular village boy who was separated from his older brother at a young age. His wish is just to find and reunite with his brother again. He has two best friends, Ludwig and Kiku. They then joined the Survey Corps, putting their loyalty of friendship and family to the test.
1. Chapter 1

**Year 840**

The big day has arrived. Today, every scout of the 95th Trainee Corps will finally graduate. Today is also the day that they choose their new path, be it the Stationary Guards, Recon Corps or the Military Police.

The scouts gathered, and soon, the leading commander of the Trainee Regiment stood tall on the podium, calling out the names of the top ten best performing trainees. All of which, are eligible to apply for a place in the Military Police. Amidst the crowd stood a young soldier, nervous as the commander read out the names one by one. His name was Feliciano Vargas. He knew that he was not good enough to enter top ten, but he was okay with that. He knew how good or bad he was, and he was willing to accept it. What scared him the most was his two best friends. They were good, physically and mentally. They were hardworking as well and it was highly likely that they will make it into top ten. He was afraid that they would join the Military Police, and leave him alone. Who wouldn't? It was the safest place to be, especially with all the titans roaming outside the walls.

"Sixth place, Honda Kiku." A boy with black hair moved up to the podium next to his other well-performing cadets. Feliciano's chest tightened. Kiku was one of his close friends, and if he was up there, Ludwig would more or less be up there as well. Ludwig Beilschmidt is Feliciano's other friend. He is a much more dedicated soldier and surely he would have performed better than Kiku.

Nearing the end, the commander called out for the soldier in second position. A guy with blonde hair by the name of Alfred F. Jones went up the stage proudly.

"And in first position, our most outstanding cadet," Feliciano tightened his hands into fists, nervously waiting for the next name. If Ludwig's name is called, it would be the end for him. He would be alone, without his most trusted friends by his side…

"Ludwig Beilschmidt." Feliciano's heart sank.

.

"Feli-chan, a penny for your thoughts?" Kiku asked as he sat next to Feliciano with his plate.

"Ja, you've been really quiet today." Ludwig commented as he set his food down and sat down across Feliciano.

"A-Ah? Nothing, really… So you and Ludwig are in top ten, right? Congratulations! Now you two get to be safe within Wall Sina with the Military Police… Right?" His voice quivered at the back as he tried to hold back his tears, which were threatening to fall.

"So that's what this is about…" Ludwig said softly, and then looked into Feliciano's directions. "Feli, listen. We're not going to join the Military Police."

"Hai. We have promised you that we'll stay by you and to protect you until the end and we intend to keep to that promise, Feli-chan." He paused there as Feliciano gave a face that said he understood.

Feliciano looked back and forth the two of them, tears threatening to fall again except this time, it was tears of joy. He hugged Kiku first, before reaching over to give Ludwig a hug, constantly saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" as he did so. "You two are the best! Arigatou, Kiku! Danke, Ludwig!" His two friends just laughed as a response, happy that Feliciano was his old self again.

.

They were finishing up their conversation, just as they were almost finished their food.

"So, you have an older brother out there somewhere?" Kiku asked, putting the last morsel of bread into his mouth.

"Yup. I only remembered he looked a lot like me, but then he was taken away when we were two."

"Where was he taken to?"

"I'm not sure, but I haven't heard from him since. I wonder how he's doing… I wonder if he's here, like us! I really want to find him…"

"We'll help you, Feliciano. But for now, we have to go. We have to confirm our places tonight."

"Ludwig is right. Let's go, Feli-chan." Both Ludwig and Kiku stood up with their plates and Feliciano soon reluctantly followed.

"So, if you two are not going to the Military Police, which regiment would you choose? Will we join the Stationary Guards? Their jobs are the second safest."

There was a brief pause as Kiku and Ludwig looked at each other, before turning to face Feliciano.

"Feli-chan, we were hoping that you would follow us, and join the Survey Corps."

"S-Survey Corps?! But that's so dangerous! And we have to see those titans face-to-face… It's too scary!"

"Feli-chan, there is something we haven't told you yet. The reason we wanted to enrol in the first place is because Ludwig dreams of joining the Survey Corps."

"Ja… I'm sure you know about my family, about my father and my mother…" Ludwig paused for a moment, trying to hold onto his composure. Feliciano has heard this story. It was quite tragic. Ludwig's father was part of the Survey Corps and he risked his life to save a new soldier, and he did not make it back. His mother got so depressed after receiving the news and eventually committed suicide. All Ludwig was left with is his older brother Gilbert and their grandfather.

"So… You want to avenge them…?"

"Not only them, Feli. The main reason is because of Gilbert… It's because of those dreaded titans that he has become like this… Sure, they killed my father and drove my mother to her death bed, but Gilbert… He's a good man and he doesn't deserve to suffer like that…" Gilbert was also part of the Survey Corps. He joined for the very reason that he wanted to avenge his parents' death. However, his gears were faulty that day, causing his legs to be bitten off by a titan. He made it back alive, but with his legs gone, he can never move around freely on his on again, and that was what hurt Ludwig the most.

Feliciano looked down, he did not know about this. He was told that he had an illness and his legs needed to be amputated in order to save his life. He has only met Gilbert a few times but he could see that Gilbert was a good man, and definitely a loyal and dedicated soldier.

Feliciano finally looked up and turned to Kiku. "What about you, Kiku? Why'd you want to join the Survey Corps? What about your parents?"

Kiku took a sharp breath in. He almost forgot about that. His family has always made it top ten and always joined the Military Police. The King had a good relationship with the Honda Clan. It was like a tradition for every member of the Honda family to serve the King as part of the Military Police.

"I am joining the Survey Corps because I have promised to be with you two. Breaking a promise is not something I would do. Furthermore, I'd rather spend my days with you two out there, then in safety behind those walls. I am doing this for my comrades, or as my family says, _nakama._ I am sure that they will understand and respect my decision."

Feliciano gave a light smile and nodded, "I'm sure they will! Then let's go to the courtyard now! We don't want to be late, right?" He gave a bright smile and they hurried over to the plate returning station, before happily rushing over to the courtyard.


	2. Chapter 2

The assembly was over and the number of soldiers in the courtyard had visibly halved. The Commander on the podium nodded, before booming, "Alright, all of you cadets have chosen this path. Thank you for dedicating your lives to the fight against those cruel monsters beyond thesed walls. I commend you all for your bravery and from this moment on, you are all officially part of the Survey Corps."

.

"Feli-chan? Are you okay? What are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing much. I just thought I'd finally get to see my older brother here…" He mumbled rather inaudibly, as he mindlessly fiddled with the bracelet on his wrist. "I really wonder what he's like, you know. Whether he's fearless and strong, whether he is an outstanding soldier… But then again, if he is an outstanding soldier, I'd probably see him by now." He wrapped his arms around his knees as he brought them closer to his chest, hugging tightly. He had always dream of seeing his brother again. He heard that his brother was a soldier, but he did not know which regiment he is in. His grandfather had mention that no one in the family, other than himself, has made it to the top ten, and he too, chose to enter the Survey Corps. This meant that no one in the family has made it into the Military Police, so that option was out.

"Maybe you'll see him soon? After all, we only saw the Chief Commander and Assistant Commander today. Maybe your brother is one of the Captains who would be taking a squad?"

"Hmm, then in that case, I hope to be in my brother's squad!" The sudden outburst made Kiku jump a little, but he was still nonetheless, happy to see Feliciano smiling brightly again.

"Can I come in?" A voice interrupted, following a knock. Kiku and Feliciano nodded, and Ludwig walked into the dimly lit room, closing the door behind him.

"It's about time to sleep, we're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"Hai, we were just about to." Kiku turned to face Feliciano and smiled gently. "You're going to need all the energy you can get if you want to impress your brother tomorrow."

.

Cadets were supposed to gather early in the morning in the courtyard, to be divided into their groups and then dispatched out to their headquarters located in the Trost District.

Feliciano excitedly skipped towards their courtyard, ahead of Kiku and Ludwig.

"Hurry up, guys! We don't wanna be late!" He yelled towards them, before turning around to skip towards the courtyard, only to bump into someone.

"Woah, hey there, lil' dude. Don't need to get so excited." His voice was rather high, and he sounded young and brave. Feliciano looked up to a guy who was taller than him, who has shady blonde hair and cowlick sticking out. Feliciano recognised him. He was that American soldier that got second place. What is he doing here? Did he give up his chance to live safely within Wall Sina?

"O-Oh, yes… Um, I'm sorry. Just uh, um…" He was stuttering of course. He was usually okay with talking to people he do not know, but this guy just sent some chills down his spine. He was almost as strong as Ludwig…

"Hah, no worries, lil' dude! Say, you nervous about today too? Don't worry. I heard that the leaders and captains are all pretty nice, except maybe a few-"

"Feliciano! Are you alright?" Ludwig's voice interrupted from behind, as the two of them ran up to him.

"Hey! It's you, the number one cadet! And you too," He said, turning to look at Kiku. "You were on the podium that day too! I'm surprised to see you here. I thought all of you would've joined the Military Police or something."

"I'd ask you the same thing too, Alfred, is it?" Ludwig responded rather monotonously, unsure of how to be feeling around this American. "So why are you here?"

"Well, mainly because I want to get in on some of the action 'round here. I mean, we were trained to kill titans and stuff, and they don't do that a lot in the MP. So what's the point then, right? And if I'm in the top ten, it just means that I am competent enough, so why not put my skills to good use and help the Survey Corps out, right?" Surprisingly to Ludwig, Alfred did not sound cocky when he said that. He said it with conviction and passion, like he really wanted to lend a helping hand, like he did not mind risking his life to help others, to help the human race.

"You're truly admirable, Alfred-san." Kiku bowed slightly, also impressed by what he has said.

"Well, I just want to do what's right, y'know? Anyway, we should get going. They're gonna announce our groups soon!" He instinctively grabbed Feliciano's wrist and started pulling him excitedly towards the courtyard. Kiku and Ludwig looked and just followed behind.

.

"Wow, I didn't know we'd make it into the same group! Awesome!"

" _Sacré bleu_ , Alfred. You don't have to be so loud!" A tall man with long, wavy blonde hair was covering his ears as he walked over.

"Sorry, dude. I was just too excited! Look, I met these dudes before the assembly and now we're in the same group!" His smile then faded slightly as he turned towards the trio. "That's right, I forgot to get your names! And we haven't done a proper introduction yet! I'm Alfred F. Jones, and this guy here is Francis."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He gave a polite bow, before stretching out his hand for a handshake. The three of them took turns to return the handshake and to introduce themselves. Almost immediately, another guy with blonde hair ran towards them.

"Gee, Artie, where ya been?"

"It's Arthur, Alfred. Don't call me that." He spoke through pants, using his hands to rest his bodyweight onto his knees. "Sorry, was caught up back there for a while."

"Ciao! We're your teammates! My name is Feliciano Vargas! This is Ludwig and this is Kiku. Nice to meet you!" Feliciano chirped, holding out a hand to shake.

"My name's Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. Nice to meet you." He smiled as he shook his hand, before turning to look at the other two. "My, our team is such a power house. We've got Kiku here, Alfred and the number one cadet." Arthur smiled and extended his hands out as he greeted Kiku and Ludwig.

"I remember you, Arthur-san. You're in tenth position, aren't you?" Arthur's hand jerked upon hearing the question, accidentally squeezing Kiku's hand a little.

"A-Ah, sorry. Well, yes, but nobody really cares about the tenth seed anyway, so it isn't that important." He chuckled and blushed a little, obviously contented by the supposed compliment.

"Alright, cadets!" A loud voice boomed behind them, interrupting their small talk. "We are all set and it is time to move out. Saddle up, get into your groups and wait for further instructions."

They got onto their horses and lined up, and they were dispatched out for Trost District.

.

 **Trost District**

The journey was shorter than Feliciano had expected. He was afraid at first, because they were travelling through a dark forest surrounded by tall and gloomy looking trees. However, Arthur and Francis started bickering along the way, and it was really entertaining for the whole team, and it took Feliciano's mind off the dark and scary forest.

Upon reaching the headquarters, all the cadets were made to keep, feed and clean their horses before going to clean out their rooms. Each team gets a room to themselves, and after cleaning up, cadets would report to the cafeteria to have their lunch before they will be off for their basic briefing and some training.

Feliciano looked up to the clouds as he left the horse stable, thinking to himself.

 _This may just be the start of a very interesting journey._


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Just a little note, whatever is happening now, happens a few days after the previous chapter._

 **Year 840  
Shinganshina District**

"Oi, Antonio. You got any tomatoes? I'm starving, you bastard." Lovino sat lazily on a crate, leaning back onto the wall behind him. Antonio, a tall guy with green eyes and brown hair walked over and passed him a big red juicy tomato.

"You might not want to finish all the tomatoes at once, you know how hard it is to get those."

Lovino took a bite into the tomato, and nodded his head nonchalantly. He knows tomatoes are one of the rare foods around here, but he just cannot help it. Tomatoes are his absolute favourite.

Antonio just chuckled at the Italian. "Lovi," the Italian looked over, using the sleeve of his uniform to wipe away the tomato juice dripping down his chin.

"Want to go to the top of the wall with me again? You can finish your tomato while looking at the beautiful scenery from up there!"

"Tch, if I wanted to go, I'd go with a pretty lady, damn it."

"Ah, actually, Bel is already up there, but if you—" Before Antonio could finish his sentence, Lovino grabbed him by his wrist and pulled him over to the mechanism that gets them up there. "Let's go, Spaniard."

.

Once at the top, Lovino could not help but grip onto Antonio's arm tightly. He was not afraid of heights, per se. Rather, he was afraid that he might do something wrong again, make another mistake. Three weeks ago, Lovino was up there with Antonio and Bel. He accidentally kicked a bomb off the wall. Lucky for him, it fell and exploded outside the walls, otherwise he probably would have destroyed a third of Shinganshina. He was so scared that he did not have the guts to go back up again.

He took careful steps behind Antonio, careful not to step onto him. Antonio just smiled as he thought about how cute Lovino was, while holding on to his half eaten tomato for him. He walked towards a small and slim figure.

" _Hola,_ Bel! We're here!" The Spaniard chirped and upon hearing the name, Lovino quickly let go of his grip on Antonio's arm, and tried to look as cool as he can, while being careful.

" _Ciao,_ bella. Nice scenery up here, right?" That earned a chuckle from Bel.

"My, my Lovino! Nice to see you up here again!" Lovino immediately blushed, knowing what she was referring to. She just giggled at his reaction and turned back to Antonio. "He's such a dear, isn't he?"

Antonio nodded his head, smiling as he did so. "Lovino can be really cute when he wants to be. He just chooses to be grumpy all the time."

"Chigi! I'm not grumpy you damned bastard!" His face turned red as he retorted, which only got chuckles and laughter from the other two.

After their laughter died down and Lovino cooled off, they stood silently next to each other while watching the scenery beyond the walls. It was magnificent. It was an open field just outside the walls with a small number of two to five metre class titans roaming around but nothing too big. Beyond that, there were many tall trees. The sun was also shining brightly, and birds flew freely all around. Antonio was right, eating a tomato while enjoying this scenery was a good idea. They stood in silence as they admired the scenery, until Bel broke the silence.

"Hey Lovi?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you join the Garrisons? Was it because of Antonio?" The question caught Lovino off guard, and his face immediately turned red as the both of them turned to look at Lovino.

"W-What? Damn, no! Why would I join just because of this dumb bastard!" He stuttered, and he fought to maintain eye contact with the both of them. Bel giggled at his reaction, and turned to whisper to Antonio, though it was loud enough for Lovino to hear.

"Aw, see Toni, I told you he was concerned for you." Antonio smiled brightly as he nodded his head in response. Lovino could not think of any retort, and his face grew redder. It was true. When he was three, he was separated from his younger brother, Feliciano. Ever since then, he has been living with Antonio, who had constantly cared for him. It was only the two of them, although Bel would visit them often and sometimes, her brother Ned tagged along. Soon, Ned joined the Trainee Corps, and afterwards, the Military Police. He and Bel had both agree to do their best, and that the both of them can join the MP and live together within the safety of the inner walls. Thus, two years later, Bel and Antonio joined the Trainee Corps. Sadly, Bel did not make top ten, so she chose the safer route and joined the Garrisons. Antonio joined the Trainee Corps because he wanted to look after Bel and as such, he joined the Garrisons too.

This worried Lovino, of course. He would never admit it, but he cared deeply for Antonio and did not want him to get hurt. He knew what Antonio was like, too kind and always so cheerful, he was afraid that Antonio might be bullied by his superiors and fellow soldiers. As a result, when he was old enough, he joined the Trainee Corps as well, and graduated into the Garrisons. When Antonio asked why he chose the Garrisons, all he said was because he was too lazy to venture beyond the walls, and Antonio believed him. Only Bel noticed how much Lovino cared for Antonio, and the fact that Lovino always denies that amuses her.

The three of them were having a little chat and laughter when suddenly, Antonio tensed up. He was frozen, staring off into the distance. Bel and Lovino noticed it and started nudging him.

"Toni? Toni, you okay?"

"Tonio, you bastard, don't just freeze up like that!"

Antonio just shook his head in disbelief, pointing into the direction he was staring at. Lovino and Bel turned and to their horror, a huge titan was approaching their way. Steam was coming out of his body, through his head, his arms and his legs. It was an abnormal titan, and they know it. What worried Antonio was the fact that it was unbelievably huge, and it might be possible that it was taller than the wall. Lovino's legs were starting to give way, as he grabbed onto Antonio's arm. Bel, on the other side, just stood looking at the titan.

"Toni, what do we do?"

"Use the flare gun…" Antonio whispered to himself, before turning to Bel. "Use the flare gun! Notify everyone up here immediately! I'll notify those below."

Bel nodded and went off to get her flare gun. She checked it before firing a red flare, signalling 'Danger'. Antonio held onto Lovino, helping him walk over to the mechanism.

"It's okay, Lovi. Nothing is going to happen to you, I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" Antonio's words were soothing, but that did not stop Lovino from worrying. He was terrified. He had never seen such a huge titan before. The tallest one he had ever seen was only 5 metres tall. He gripped onto Antonio tightly as he steadily got onto the mechanism. It started moving, and Lovino turned to Antonio.

"T-Tonio, does this mean we're in danger?"

"I don't know Lovi, but I really hope not." Once they reached the ground, Antonio called out to the other members, warning them of a possible titan attack. Almost immediately, the sounds of the canon being fired could be heard, one after another. This caused some unrest among the nearby villagers, and Antonio tried his best to calm them down, telling them that there was nothing to worry about. Lovino was trailing close behind, and Antonio turned to him.

"Lovi, check that your 3DMG is properly fastened." His voice was calm, yet stern at the same time. "I'm not sure what this titan can do, but should anything happen, please keep calm and remember all that you have learnt from being a soldier."

"Damn it, you bastard! I know what to do!" Despite saying this, Lovino was still scared inside. He had never encountered a live titan before. He did not know what it was like to be up-close and personal with a titan, and he was worried, worried that he might screw up and cause hurt to those who he treasures deeply.

Antonio just chuckled and ruffled Lovino's hair comfortingly. " _No te procupes,_ nothing will happen to you, I promise. Just stay near me, okay?" He smiled brightly, hoping he was at least able to assure the Italian. Lovino looked at him, and true enough, he did feel much better. Antonio was always able to comfort him and made him feel better, though he would never, ever admit that to anyone.

"Who said I was worried, dumbass. I'll do fine." He folded his arms, and turned away. Antonio was about to say something, when suddenly the ground started to shake and a loud crashing sound was heard. They turned and to their horror, they saw that the gates had been damaged slightly. Luckily, the soldiers around the area are able to hold the huge titan in place. He was tied up almost immediately after. He was unable to move, but it was only a matter of time before he broke loose from their grasp.

However, from Antonio and Lovino's point of view, the doors were slightly damaged and it was about a metre tall. This means that the smaller titans have a chance of entering the village, and if they leave it there, the titans would probably find a way to make the hole bigger and let larger titans in.

" _Mierda…_ ´He turned to the other soldiers present and gave his command. "We have to set up a barricade before the titans come in, _aprisa_! We don't have much time!" Soldiers nodded and headed off to find items that could possibly block the hole.

"Lovino, you go too. I have to stay here, in case the hole gets bigger or anything."

"B-But Tonio, it's dangerous, and I'm… I'm scared…" Lovino was almost pleading, as he gripped onto Antonio's hands, blushing slightly and trying his best to avoid eye contact.

" _E_ _stá bien_ , Lovi. Just go. Trust yourself and you'll be okay." He held onto Lovino's head and ruffled his hair, before giving one last smile. Lovino hated to admit it, but he felt much better. He gave a light nod and slowly let go of Antonio's hand. He looked at Antonio one last time before turning around and flying off with his gear.

Antonio's smile faded slightly as he look at Lovino take off.

 _Cuidate, Lovino. Please take care._

* * *

 _A/N: Forgive me if I got any of the foreign words wrong! They are not the languages that I am used to. I am trying to learn as well, so please do correct me if I am wrong!_

 _Hola – Hello_

 _Ciao – Hello_

 _No te procupes – Don't worry_

 _Mierda – Shit_

 _Aprisa – Quickly_

 _Est_ _á_ _Bien – It's okay_

 _Cuidate – Be safe_

 _Also, just in case._

 _Bel - Belgium_

 _Ned - Netherlands/Holland_


End file.
